The invention relates to a method and apparatus for removing tissue from a body joint wherein a specially designed hook on the end of a shaft engages the tissue to retain it in a tensioned state while it is being detached from the joint after which means is provided for releasing the tissue from the hook and withdrawing the hook from the joint.
In the practice of arthroscopic surgery it is a well known procedure to form an opening in a joint and to remove a meniscus from the joint. In arthroscopic surgery such procedures may be performed without making any standard large skin and tissue incisions. Typically the procedure is performed through small stab wounds through which arthroscopic instruments are inserted into the joint, such as the knee, and under direct visualization various procedures may be performed. It has been frequently difficult to cut loose tissue or a meniscus within a joint without making multiple stab wound incisions. In order to effectively cut such tissue in the past it has been frequently necessary to create additional openings in order to enable the surgeon to cut the tissue under tension. Obviously, it would be desirable to provide a method and apparatus which would ensure that loose tissue could be cut effectively through a minimal number of incisions and thus avoid the need for multiple wounds.
There have been devices in the prior art for removing objects from the body of a human which include a hook or the like. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,368,734 discloses a device for grasping a portion of the object to be removed and to bring the object into contact with a cutting surface for cutting the object to permit its removal. U.S. Pat. No. 3,817,250 discloses a surgical device which is used in emergency tracheostomy procedures. This device discloses a split needle with a collar which extends thereover and a cavity means in the collar to enable expansion of the needle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,624,747 discloses a surgical instrument having a hook-like portion on the end thereof for the purpose of rupturing the amniotic membrane. This device would not be suitable for arthroscopic surgery. U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,268 discloses a piercing evacuator having a hollow elongated body and a cutting head thereon with openings therethrough to permit discharge from an inner area to the exterior through a membrane such as the eardrum. The prior art is devoid of a disclosure of a surgical instrument suitable for arthroscopic surgery to retain loose tissue within a knee joint and provided with means to permit removal of the instrument from the joint without engagement with other tissue.